KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The leak of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion draft, that could overrule Roe v. Wade, is sparking a lot of debate for those on both sides of the aisle of abortion.
“The end of that access is coming, and we will fight with everything we have to protect our patients, advocate for our patients and care for our patients,” Emily Wales, Interim President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains said.
Planned Parenthood of Great Plains, who serves both Kansas and Missouri, is devastated by the thought that Roe v. Wade could be overturned.
“The news is not surprising to providers and abortion advocates in our part of the country, but the reality that more than half of the United States may soon ban abortion entirely is shocking nonetheless,” Wales said.
Although the leaked opinion is by no means law, Dr. Iman Alsaden with Planned Parenthood Great Plains says we are already living in what she describes as a post Roe world.
“We have been seeing people go through extremes lengths to access abortion care, [even] driving all night," Alsaden said. "As I mentioned, doing what they can to get the basic healthcare that they need for them and their families."
The Catholic Church on the other hand has been at the forefront of this debate.
On Tuesday, Bishop James Johnston with the Catholic Diocese of Kansas city — St. Joseph, told KSHB 41 News the church stands by their teachings of the dignity of human life.
“We need to uphold the dignity of a human person from its very beginning at conception, all the way to the end of life and in between during life,” Johnston said.
However while standing by their teaching, if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned, the church says it is willing and ready to help any mother in crisis.
“Gabriel’s house, Rachel's house, our Catholic charities also have many ways and outreach to help women, who need accompany met during a crisis time," Johnston said. "We also have many counseling services and programs in place to help women who have gone through an abortion [and] who are still grieving and trying to get through that."
In the meantime, Planned Parenthood says they plan to fight back to ensure that Roe v. Wade remains intact for patients who are in need of care.
“The way in which we provide care will be different if abortion access is lost," Wales said. "We’ve lived through that in Missouri where we were once able to provide abortion services locally to Missourians, that is no longer a reality, but patients still need education and a safe place to return after they’ve had care and we will provide that every way we can."
Planned Parenthood offers other services such as contraception, STI testing and treatment, along with cancer screenings and more.
These could all be impacted if the court decides to strike down Roe v. Wade.
